Burdens of the Soul
by gazse
Summary: The moon has been wished back, and it brings consequences with it... yaoi you guys should know me by now! See inside for more warnings! Title change! Sorry for confusion :P
1. Chapter 1

Gazsan: I have had this idea in my mind for a while now… finally got around to writing it.

Disclaimer: Not mine… never…

Warnings: Implied rape, OOC (hopefully kept to a minimum), and bad words.

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New Moon.

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He wasn't sure what brought him out of his meditation; something out of the ordinary for a fine spring day as this was. He couldn't place it until he felt it again.

It was one of his allies' ki.

He furrowed his hairless eyebrows as he felt it fluctuate randomly, as if the owner had no control over it.

Not sensing any danger, Piccolo slowly stood, wary of any leg cramps that came from hours in the same position. He stretched a little, before flying leisurely towards the disturbance.

The forest he was once in gave way to more rocky terrain, before turning into what looked to be a battle field, but he decided it was more likely that it was once target practice for the obviously angry person.

Among the reddish brown dirt, he spotted a bit of black and he quickly landed a little ways from him, and walked the rest of the way to stand behind him, in case they felt like being antisocial.

Vegeta sat on a cliff in long sleeved black spandex with white gloves and boots, their golden tips hanging off and pointing into the distance.

While neither were known for their conversation skills, Piccolo decided to let the Prince begin what will no doubt be a very awkward talk. He was ready to wait however long it took for the smaller man to start, and was, therefore, justifiably surprised when he spoke;

"Is there a reason you are here Namek?"

The taller man frowned at his back, but shrugged and walked over to Vegeta's side to try and spot any reaction.

"Your fluctuating ki interrupted my mediation. So I came to see why, as we speak, your power level is about equal to that of a human."

The Prince's jaw tightened, but he did not respond. Piccolo was surprised, (but he didn't show it), that Vegeta didn't have anything to say. If this were a week ago, he would've either launched himself at the Namek, or said something that would've hurt just as much.

They were silent for a while, neither really knowing what to say to the other. Then, Vegeta's shoulders began to shake. Piccolo was half convinced that he was crying, until he heard muffled giggles coming from the other man.

They started off as little chuckles, but then progressed to a full blown belly laugh as he leaned back onto his arms with his head thrown back.

Piccolo was beyond confused while watching. It was rare to see any kind of emotion from the Prince apart from anger; and now he was laughing himself to tears at some kind of inside joke. The taller man was quickly losing patience. However, before he could demand an answer, Vegeta started talking again;

"You know, I never pictured myself to be in a position like this. When I was younger, I dreamt of growing strong and destroying Freiza and hanging his rotting carcass from the highest pole on his godforsaken planet for what he did to my people. Then, taking Raditzu and Nappa and creating a new Saiyan planet."

His wistful tone then took on a more frustrated one;

"But I never saw myself like this. Stuck on a backwater planet with idiots who can't decide whether to fear me or hate me. A stupid woman who won't leave me alone. A son, who I love more than anything on this stupid planet, but is no where near the warrior I had always wanted my first born to be; and a fucking Third-class imbecile who-", he cut himself off there.

Both of Piccolo's eyebrows lifted. Since when did the volatile Prince not want to rant and rave about his most hated rival? The problem must involve him somehow.

"What did Goku do, Vegeta?"

"Who wished back the moon Namek?"

The taller man frowned at the obvious stalling tactic, but answered nonetheless, "Goku did. He claimed that it was safe now that there were no more Saiyans waiting around and because none of you have your tails, so you can't transform. He also liked the way it shone through the trees in the forest while taking long walks with his significant other. It seems that Chichi liked it to."

The Saiyan frowned at his answer, then started muttering to himself, "so he knew, did he plan this?"

Quickly getting frustrated with the whole situation, Piccolo demanded some answers.

"Just tell me what is going on. You know me well enough to know that I won't irrationally judge you or run off to tell the others."

Vegeta smirked, clearly happy to annoy the Namek in any way he can;

"Well Green Bean, since you asked so _nicely._" he stressed the word, and Piccolo rolled his eyes; "your darling Goku, your hero, your saviour, hunted me down and raped me last full moon."

Piccolo physically recoiled back, as if the words were a kamehameha wave launched by a Super Saiyan.

Vegeta went on to explain the hows and whys of their full moon transformation, but the taller man was hardly listening.

_It couldn't be true._

"---because of the moon's radiation, but because we don't have our tails, it—"

_He has to be lying._

"—although the transforming is gone, the urges are still the same. But—"

_This has to be some kind of stupid plan to take Goku down._

"---I long ago learnt to control these urges. Kakarot however—"

_But if it was, wouldn't he have broadcasted it already? Told everyone about it to turn them against him._

"---are you even listening? I'm—"

_No, even Vegeta wouldn't sink this low, not even for revenge._

"---you know, if you keep your eyes that wide for much longer, they might get so dry that they pop out. So in that case, please, keep staring."

Piccolo shook his head of his thoughts and glared at the smaller man, who, even though he was smirking smugly, had his whole body coiled tightly, as if ready to bolt if the Namek had a violent reaction.

The taller man ignored this, and set about his new goal.

"You can't make a claim like that without me wanting proof. So how can you prove to me that you aren't lying?"

Proving the truthfulness of this _statement._

_

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_

Gazsan: This is actually the second time I wrote this.

My computer got a virus and now I can't even turn it on to try and salvage my stories. That'll teach me to back up my files.

I had two more chapters of this story written on my other computer, so they should be out soonish.

In the mean time, yes, losing my files also meant losing the next chapter of _My Guardian_, which was half done. But I promise you, dear reader, that I am working hard on trying to finish it off, so expect it pretty soon.

Which means, you know, expect it within a year or so… :p

So lemme know what you think of this story, I'm rather excited about it.

And yes, I do realise that it is not a good idea to have 2 WIPs when you are as lazy as me… but I promise to complete them both! Eventually!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: nope nope nope... *sighs*

Gaz san: Another one!

New Moon

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Piccolo stared.

And stared.

And stared.

He stared until he realised that the sunset wasn't going to give him any answers this time, just watch and laugh as he prayed for some sense to come into the situation he found himself in.

There was a light splash behind him where the Saiyan Prince bathed; happily ignoring the state of shock the Namek had been in since the Prince told him the secrets of a few weeks past. Now that he thought about it, it was rather surprising that he knew at all, considering Vegeta's very solitary personality, but he decided that he would most likely be the only one to know, and that the only reason he did in the first place was because it left more than just physical and emotional scars.

There was another splash, slightly bigger than the last, but he didn't turn around; if he did, he would've seen a very wet, very naked Saiyan. He would've seen the scars of his torture from the tyrant's ship and the healing wounds from the moon induced attack. But more so, he would've seen the after affects of it, something that would change his life forever; he would've seen the washboard abs fading and the non-existent belly sticking out at the length of a fingernail.

He would've seen the evidence of Goku's crime.

He would've seen Vegeta's pregnant stomach.

Wet footsteps behind him walked a little to the left, pulled something off a tree so hard the branch broke, then started to approach him.

"Do you mind...?" Came a gruff half question.

Without really thinking about it, Piccolo raised his arm in the Prince's direction and let out a small heat wave of ki, then let his hand drop. Rustling has heard as he dressed before Vegeta sat next to him and watched the sunset disappear behind the far-off mountains.

"Pretty soon, you're going to be too fat to wear stuff like that..."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the blunt truth, not liking to face up to the fact so soon. "Well, incase you haven't noticed, I don't have anything any different in my closet; and going 'shopping' is asking for trouble."

"Well, incase _you_ haven't noticed, I have a nifty little power that creates clothes." He answered with a snort.

"So that means I'll start walking around in a cape and turban?"

"I do know how to create other things; this is just my personal choice."

"If it is, then you shouldn't be allowed a choice."

"Look, I'm not going to take fashion advice from a man who _only_ wears spandex and seems to think white gloves and white boots go with _everything_."

The smaller male didn't answer, but that was fine. In a way, they both needed that little argument; the playful banter is what their 'friendship' was based on and it managed to successfully break the ice over the rather delicate situation they found themselves in.

Looking at him from the corner of his eye, Piccolo asked; "What are you going to do now?"

The prince sighed and brought a hand up to his eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and finger, "I honestly don't know. I don't really need any help going through the birthing process, but in the later months, I'll be... unable to provide much food for myself. That is the only real concern I have if I were to try and handle this on my own."

"Why don't you abort it?"

Vegeta's head snapped to him so fast a human would've broken their neck. "Look _Namek_, that may be normal for you, considering you just spit up the eggs and that's the end of it. And this may just be maternal instincts talking, but I will NOT kill a perfectly healthy, _full-blooded_ Saiyan baby; no matter how inconvenient having it will be, nor how it was conceived in the first place."

Piccolo's hands flew up and he held them at his chest in an 'I surrender!' sort of way, "Take it easy Saiyan, I'm just letting you know your options, and like it or not, that is an option."

He just growled and turned away.

The Namek stayed silent 'til he saw Vegeta's shoulders relax a little, before he spoke again, "maybe you should tell Bulma..."

The small man gave a snort that sounded suspiciously like a bitter laugh, "tell her what? Her best friend raped me? Or maybe I should lie and say I was so horny that I picked up some random guy from the street, I was on the _bottom willingly_, therefore got pregnant,and never got his name? 'Cause I can guarantee that she won't believe either."

Piccolo gave his own growl of annoyance, "listen Prince Brat, this whole afternoon I've been wasting my time trying to think up ways to help _you_; having shot everyone of them down, I suppose that means you have a few of your own, 'cause I'd _love_ to hear them!"

Vegeta's mouth closed quickly and he turned away, indicating quite clearly that he did not have any clue as what to do.

"That's what I thought..."

They sat in a heavy silence, watching as the moon rose and both realised, with trepidation, that it wouldn't take long, a week at the most, for the moon to be full once again, and for Vegeta to be under threat of another attack.

"I just..." the Prince began, but stopped as the Namek's eyes turned to meet his, knowing this was going to be one of the hardest things he would ever had to say. He ran a hand through his hair, let out a deep sigh and decided to get it over with.

"I just... I have no fucking idea what I'm going to do now. You're the only one on this planet that wouldn't immediately think I provoked the idiot or that I deserved it." He felt tears welling up and quickly covered his eyes with his hand, "God, I'm already thinking of the worst case scenarios. What if an enemy comes while I'm pregnant, or just after? What if I die during the birth? What if Kakarot finds out about him and wants to take him away, or kill him? What if the kid hates me? What if--"

"Vegeta," Piccolo cut in, "you should know better than anyone not to let 'what ifs' rule you life. You're right, I'm probably the only one who will hear out your side of the story, and so, I may regret this later, but I'm going to help you through this."

Vegeta's head shot up from where he had been watching his fidgeting hands and their eyes met. "You... _want_ to help me?" He asked, completely stunned.

The taller man let a small smile appear on his face, "yes, I do. I don't know much about pregnancy and babies, but after watching Bulma with Trunks and Chichi with Goten, I know you're going to need help. Besides, I can't walk away now, knowing what happened to you."

The Saiyan wiped the shocked expression off his face and nodded, not liking the fact that Piccolo felt he had to help, but acknowledging that he wasn't going to get any better from anyone else.

Piccolo gave an answering nod and stood up, brushing any dirt away from his clothes and held out a hand to Vegeta. "Come on, the safest place for you right now would be the Lookout," and he hauled the prince up.

Before taking off, he came to a decision and looked off into the distance. Vegeta turned to look at him questioningly as he let loose a giant energy ball straight into the mocking silence of the moon.

He let out a sigh and twisted to look at the prince once again. "I'll take care of you." That said, he levitated into the air, waited for Vegeta to do the same and flew off to the lookout.

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gazsan: Done, I'm really liking how this story is turning out...

**Julesie: **I knew I could count on you to be one of my first reviewers :) ... Anyways, I totally agree about the lack of _any_ other pairing apart from GokuxVegeta (not that I have a problem with that, but it is nice to have a bit of variety...) However, I don't really know where this story is going... so we'll have to see if they end up together... he he he...

**Volcanic:** Hey, thanks for the review! About the pairings; I'm making this story up as I go along, so really, anyone could end up with anyone... not even I know!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope…

gazsan: GAH!! I _just _realised that this story had the same title as the second Twilight movie!!! Therefore, I had to change it… I'm really glad that nobody commented on that fact…yuckies…

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Burdens of the Soul

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It was very quiet at the lookout, but that was to be expected.

Yesterday when they arrived, Dende had merely nodded and pointed down the hallway with his staff. Piccolo should've known. Who was he to presume that the God didn't see what happened to Vegeta simply because it was too disgusting for someone so young (for someone of any age!) to even think about. It just shows how much the Namek has grown up; from the eager child wanting to do everything at once, to the teenager who seemed to just realise the loneliness of the job, to the young adult who accepted his place in life and attacks problems he faces with ferocious intensity.

The tall man led the surprisingly silent Prince to one of the many spare rooms, leaving him in one relatively close to his own; he met Mr. Popo in the kitchen and ordered up enough food for two Saiyans, and at the genie's nervous look, told him to just leave it at the door.

He returned to Vegeta's room to find the man sprawled out on the double bed with an arm thrown over his eyes. For a brief second, Piccolo thought he was crying, but then the arm lifted slightly to reveal one dry eye, then dropped again with seeing who it was.

"I guess the brat knows?" The small man mumbled, not needing an answer.

"So you don't even have any respect for Gods?" Piccolo growled, not really angry but needing to say something.

"I guess the Holy God of brattiness knows?" A small smirk appeared on his face.

"Asshole," really only said for lack of a better comeback.

The smirk remained on his face for a few seconds, but slowly fell away as the moment drifted further away.

The food was delivered and Piccolo left him to eat while he went to meditate in his special little spot. Hours later when he checked on the Saiyan, he found the trolley that was once filled with food now filled with neatly stacked plates, and Vegeta curled tightly in a wrap of blankets, surprisingly not even stirring at his entrance. He closed the door with a small smile and left to his own room, deciding to call it a day and get a well deserved night's sleep.

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Today found Piccolo walking out of his room, only to be ambushed by a worried Mr. Popo, who heard strange sounds coming from Vegeta's bedroom, tried to check it out but discovered that the door was firmly locked.

He walked briskly to the Saiyan's door, trying not to show his worry to the plump genie next to him. As they approached the door, Piccolo heard the almost whimpering like noises and the frantic rustling of the sheets. He tried the door, but found it lock as said before. The problem, however, was quickly fixed with a small insert of ki into the keyhole and the locking system within being blown straight to HFIL.

He entered and shut the door again, wanting to keep witnesses down to himself for the sake of Vegeta's pride. There, on the bed, was Vegeta caught in the grasp of a nightmare, sheets tangled around his arms and legs in a way that probably didn't help his dream at all.

He approached the bed carefully, not wanting to scare the prince into attacking while half asleep. A low keening whine met his ears and before he could do anything, the prince snapped awake and jerked himself into a sitting position, panting wildly and his eyes frantic. He started to pull and tug at the sheets, desperate to get free, and Piccolo knew that now was the time to do something, even though it's no less dangerous.

The taller man slowly reached across, making sure his hand was in Vegeta's line of sight well before making contact, but the prince was still startled when he started to gently tug at the restraints. Recognising the green hand, the smaller male sat still as Piccolo slowly unwrapped the sheets; looking at his hands in embarrassment when they were freed so they wouldn't meet eyes.

Piccolo just sighed, not knowing what to expect now. "I'll go get you some breakfast. From now on, keep your door unlocked, I'll make sure Dende and Mr. Popo don't come in."

He waited for Vegeta to nod before he walked out of the room and to the kitchen where the black genie was fussing around with the food. After assuring him that the prince was fine and asking not to enter the room, he went to the edge of the Lookout and let the stillness calm and center him. He wasn't sure why Vegeta's distress worried him so much, nor was he sure that he wanted to get too attached to the situation, but was unable to think up a way to stop himself.

He really shouldn't have been surprised when a mere ten minutes later, he felt the familiar ki of Earth's hero approach his position. He took a few deep breaths, schooling his face to blank and assuring himself that the barriers within the Lookout hid Vegeta's ki.

The black dot on the horizon quickly grew into a tall human shape as Goku landed next to Piccolo, his head tilted in a confused way.

"Hey Piccolo, why'd you blow up the moon? I felt your energy from the blast."

The Namek just had to look at the other man for a second, wondering how on earth he could sound so innocent after what he had done. Piccolo was starting to find it harder to keep control over himself, and not lash out at the other male.

"It seems that beasts can still attack and hurt even when it appears that they are harmless." He answered cryptically.

Goku frowned, "what does that mean?"

Piccolo smiled grimly, "nothing Goku. Go home, and don't wish the moon back or I'll simply do the same thing again."

The stronger male's mouth twisted, and he made to leave, before asking; "have you seen Vegeta lately? Last time I saw him he was acting strange. I could really use a good spar!"

Now it was Piccolo who frowned, "can't say I have." He turned to leave, "goodbye Goku..."

He swore he heard a soft growl from behind him before he felt the tall Saiyan fly away. He let his shoulders slump and shook his head sadly; what had become of their hero?

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Gazsan: done, done, done! Hmm… I'm being far more efficient with this story than I am with my other one. Don't worry readers! I will soon get back to normal and only update this story once in a while!

Ha ha!

I know this chapter was a bit uninteresting, but I promise to have some more Namek/Saiyan bonding soon!

Thanks for all your reviews!! I'm glad that I have some of you (including myself) wondering what is going to happen; whether Piccolo and Vegeta will get together and if there will a fight to the death between Goku and our favourite green man!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: nope nope nope... *sighs*

Gaz san: Another one! Short and sweet this time!

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Burdens of the Soul

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It was later that night that the Prince finally surfaced from his room.

Piccolo was sitting on the edge of the Lookout, watching the world below and trying not to think about his encounter with Goku earlier; the way he acted and the possible implications that could be a result.

Vegeta sat down next to him, and copied his pose for a moment before looking at the taller man next to him.

"Are you thinking about Kakarot?"

The green male saw no use in lying to him, so he nodded.

"I didn't fully believe you when you said that he… attacked you; but the way he was acting when he came up here, it was so wrong, so forced. I've never seen him act like that to anyone he didn't consider an enemy."

Vegeta nodded and stared out into the distance. The silence stretch with both men lost in there own thoughts about the same man.

"Thank you. For not telling him I was here, that is," the last bit was said a bit quickly. Piccolo normally would've commented on it, but he knew that it was inappropriate to do so.

"I won't tell anyone that you are here, but they are going to have to know eventually. As annoying as you are, your disappearance will not go unnoticed, and this whole situation will be made worse if they get it into their heads that you have become evil again."

Vegeta nodded in understanding, knowing that he would need to reappear sometime soon to avoid this from happening. Yet one question remained; what would they do when he started to show?

"You don't have to decide what to do now," Piccolo began again. "You still have about another week before the others figure out that you aren't just off sulking somewhere." This was accompanied by a smirk.

Vegeta shot him a glare, before crossing his arms and looking back to the Earth. "The truth will harm more people than a lie. I don't care what those other imbeciles think of me, but I do care about what might happen to my son."

Piccolo thought about it for a second, before agreeing. Whether the others believe the truth or not will be irrelevant, because they will always secretly wonder about it. No one would be left unaffected; whether it is their whole world being knocked on its side, or if their unending confidence in Earth's hero being shaken.

The prince leaned back, rubbing his stomach a little, before seeming to realise what he was doing and quickly snatched his hand away, but not before the Namek caught the gesture and smirked at him.

Vegeta glared at him, but still spoke, "Perhaps if I were to go on one of my training trips, they will not think to ask any questions about my absence."

Piccolo considered it. It was a good idea; although, while it was not uncommon for the prince to be gone for months on end, disappearing for a year might raise a few eyebrows, especially with leaving his young son back home.

"I guess it would only cement their view of you being the 'uncaring bastard', with you leaving your family behind"

The shorter man flinched, but conceded the point.

"But," Piccolo continued, "how will you explain the sudden appearance of the child? You know that they're not going to assume that you adopted an orphan, nor are going to let you keep it without a fight."

"I'd like to see them try to stop me!" The Prince snarled, ready to fight should the Namek even hint that he might agree with them.

Piccolo stared at him blankly, knowing that the other man's nerves were strung out, and that this was not going to be the first time that those protective instincts came out.

Vegeta sighed, ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked up at the sky. As much as he detested them, his fellow warriors (and he uses that term lightly), would almost certainly make raising his child hard; whether they try to physically interfere or they constantly check up on him.

It was too much for the moment; the fear of the attack was still too recent and raw for him to see past it and consider the future. It was going to be tough, almost unbearably so, but he truly believed –maybe for the first time in his life- that Piccolo will honour his promise to stand by him. It was that little bit of hope that would get him through all of this, he realised, and looking over at the Namek, he could see it dawning on him as well; and quiet strength swirled between them, connecting them in much deeper ways than simple team mates or friendship.

The moment passed but neither was willing to break their connection. They felt something deep inside, for maybe the first time in their lives; something had changed, it was something they couldn't name, but the both knew that they needed it.

Vegeta was the first to look away, unable to stand the churning in his stomach or the light feather touches in his mind any longer.

Piccolo blinked a few times, before realising that these unnamed feelings were directed towards the little man next to him, the asshole Prince of a forgotten race of warriors, who frustrated him at every turn and made sure everyone knew that he would not hesitate in killing them if they looked at him wrong.

The Saiyan shook his head a little, as if to clear it, and got up, determined to put a little distance between them, and to take an afternoon nap.

The taller man watched him for a moment, his face carefully blank, until all of a sudden, a question appeared as if out of nowhere from within the chaos of his thoughts; one that he didn't know that he wanted to know, but something inside told him that it was important.

"Vegeta!" He called, pleased when he saw the shorter man pause in his step, "I have a question…" He waited until he turned slightly. "Why was it you? Why not anyone else on this planet? Hell, why not his own wife?"

The Prince's eyes widened, and he stared for a minute, before shaking his head and hurrying towards his room. And Piccolo knew right then that this was going to be the next hurdle to overcome, and it might also be one of the toughest. But he knew that he had to do it, and that no matter how much Vegeta may hate him, in the end, he'll be quietly thankful for it.

* * *

Don't you love it when you are absolutely stuck on a chapter, then out of nowhere, inspiration hits hard enough to leave a bruise and get you some time off work?

Now, if only this would happen with My Guardian :s

Thank you all for your reviews, they make me warm and happy!


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